There are no fights with major implications on the entire card, and yet I can’t help but feel that it’s going to ultimately end up being one of the most enjoyable cards of 2011. UFC cards are often like that; the ones you don’t suspect are the ones that end up surprising you the most.

There are several notable events on the undercard, namely the featherweight debuts of Tyson Griffin and Joe Stevenson. Both guys are seeking to right their sinking ships by dropping a weight class. It may not fix everything, but it does extend their lives in the UFC – especially Stevenson, who would have been dropped from his contract if he hadn’t agreed to drop down. Both guys are in danger of being cut, but they’re only one win away from turning it around and turning themselves into contenders in the fame-starved UFC featherweight divison.

Let’s take a look at the main card.

Nate Marquardt vs. Rick Story: I’m absolutely fascinated by the idea of Nate Marquardt making weight at welterweight. It seems absolutely insane, the kind of idea that you’d never consider because, well, it’s impossible. But if Kenny Florian can cut to 145 pounds after starting his career in the UFC at middleweight, I guess anything is possible.

Marquardt says he feels better at the lower weight, likely because he’s not carrying around the kind of bulky muscle that he’s known for. If he has a successful weight cut here – one that doesn’t sap him of his energy while still maintaining a bit of that legendary strength – Marquardt should have his way with Story.

Kudos must be given to Story for having the courage to step in the cage so soon after his last fight, but all of the momentum he’s been building is going to go right out the window. Marquardt by TKO.

Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo: This fight should be a brawl. In a perfect world, it would be. But Kongo has morphed from a dangerous kickboxer into a fighter who values his ground and pound attack, and if there’s one thing Pat Barry is not known for, it’s his ground game.

Barry has been working with Brock Lesnar’s team in Minnesota to try and shore up his wrestling, but I’m not sure he’s learned enough to put up any real defense against Kongo should the Frenchman decide to take him down. One thing is for certain in this fight – Pat Barry better wear an extra-strength cup, because Kongo will almost assuredly hit him in the junk at some point. It’s the one thread connecting all of Kongo’s fights. Cheick Kongo by decision.

Matt Brown vs. John Howard: This, my friends, is what we call a “loser leaves town” fight. The loser of this fight will likely find themselves receiving a pink slip on Tuesday morning, and rightly so.

Brown has lost three straight fights, and only his Ultimate Fighter fame has kept him from being fired thus far. Howard has lost two straight fights. Admittedly, the two losses were to Jake Ellenberger and Thiago Alves, and he’d strung together seven straight wins before the losing began. Howard may have a better chance at sticking around if he puts up a good showing in a loss here, but Brown simply has to win, and I don’t think he will. John Howard by TKO.

Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft: Mitrione has very quietly become one of the guilty pleasures in the UFC’s heavyweight division. He’s just 4-0 in his young career, but he has shown drastic improvement in each of his fights. He has a real chance to take a big step into the next echelon of UFC competition with a win here.

It’s hard to know what to make of Morecraft. He put together six wins on regional shows before making the leap to the UFC, where he promptly lost to Stefan Struve. Yes, he was dominating the fight prior to Struve making a superman comeback, but he still lost. He came back from the loss with a submission win over Sean McCorkle, a fighter who basically got into the UFC on the strength of his internet trolling.

Mitrione has been training here in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture for the last three months, working specifically on his ground game with a bunch of different trainers. I think we’ll see him display the progress he’s made on the ground, and he’ll get the win here. Mitrione by decision